


Found you at the water

by ghostssleep



Category: Dishonored (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, I might make this into a series following Thomas idk, Light Angst, Low Chaos (Dishonored), Low Chaos Daud, OOC Thomas, Post-Game(s), almost, but let's be real he's kind of a blank slate anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 02:10:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3101306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostssleep/pseuds/ghostssleep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Whalers get their butts kicked by a benevolent Corvo and Thomas confronts Daud about his questionable leadership skills. Angsty Whaler dynamics ensue when they realize their time as a rag-tag group of super powered killers is soon coming to an end. Post-Flooded District level.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Found you at the water

**Author's Note:**

> I really don't know what this is but here you go! Title from Come a Little Closer by Cage the Elephant. Light warning for smoking.

When the river tide was low, Thomas would stare at the green shallow water rippling over the street pavement, early morning light revealing the hidden city. Through the pollution he could see the remnants of the once prosperous Financial District, long gone from the breaking in the river's barrier. Here became a forgotten piece of Dunwall that morphed into a breeding ground for rats and hagfish. Here, Weepers congregated with corpses when the plague arrived. The way that the city was falling apart, you could almost feel that time in the Flooded District had lulled to a halt, like a stilled puddle festering with mosquitoes. This was the home of the Whalers. This was Thomas' home.

Thomas sat at the edge of the crumbling entrance of their headquarters, skipping rocks upon the water. In the distance, he spotted a figure in red slowly steering a small boat out into Wrenhaven River, away from the Flooded District. Thomas abruptly stood up to shout at Daud, why was he leaving? But when he sucked in air, his eyes watered at salt and foul smells filling his nostrils. Forgetting the boat as quickly as he noticed it, Thomas touched his bare face tentatively, skin feeling so new exposed to daylight. The revelation didn't last long, however, as Thomas felt his body fall sideways, the vertigo pulling him out of his dream. With his eyes closed, he wondered why it had felt so real.

Thomas was slowly dragged awake by the realization that he had drooled in his mask. First moment, they were on patrol after throwing Corvo in a cell and the next, he wakes up on top of a pile of his comrades, all snoring. Upon examining the peaceful faceless sleeping under him, Thomas blushed under his mask. For a bunch of ruthless assassins bestowed with fearsome supernatural powers, Corvo seemed to have no trouble choking them all out as if he cuddled them to sleep. Better than the alternative, Thomas mused, but it was hardly earned. Even if it wasn't a question of whether they deserved a blade through their throats or not, wouldn't delivering death mean a faster and easier escape? Nice food for thought while Thomas crawled off the uncomfortable dog pile, checking everyone's heart rate for a steady pulse.

 

Afternoon had turned to early evening, the sun's rays shining slanted and dramatic through the long, thin windows of the Chamber of Commerce. Thomas had never been this close to the books, detailed plans and maps that had gathered in Daud's little corner. Not that any of it mattered anymore, but the memory was still there. The Whalers couldn't come back to what they were after this. Thomas stared at the empty bed that Daud used to sleep fitfully on, before the fateful day that Corvo arrived. What now?

The Whalers began again the futile attempt at repairing their little shantytown. The floors of these buildings will give out faster than the Whalers' love of them will, Thomas thought. He walked through the window, over the wooden beams connecting the crumbling structures and stopped at the edge where the buildings dropped off to the Wrenhaven. There, Daud stood staring silently across the river, bandaged and bruised. Thomas approached and stood a respectful distance behind him. 

“So Corvo spared you,” Thomas said the not-news curtly. 

Daud didn't answer, only the wind and gulls replying. Thomas took the calm moment gratefully. Like he wrote down in his journal, Daud was burdened. Before today, the pain was somewhat lifted by intervening in Delilah's plot to rule, but the Empress' death had still hung in the air like the stench of cooked sewer rat. All the Whalers could feel the dark thoughts bleed from Daud's tether and they had felt them get more erratic after Thomas' patrol found Corvo's almost dead body. 

Thomas had time to process today's ordeal. He was following Daud's command to keep the normal patrols like nothing had happened, after throwing Corvo down in a cellar with dear Overseer Franklin. After examining the cell, Thomas didn't realize then how easy Daud had made it for Corvo to escape. They were all sitting ducks ready for the taking and Daud put them in that position while he retreated to his lair like a sick cat crawling under the bed to die. Thomas clenched his fists and braced himself as Daud turned towards him. 

“You left us blinded and exposed.”

His commander gave a neutral expression and then coughed a rattled breath, hinting at broken ribs. “You could say it was a final test. You all failed,” he said dismissively. Thomas would not accept that answer. 

“Excuses. You knew his skill but you wanted to push his limits. You were testing him on us.” Thomas spat. Daud raised an eyebrow at Thomas' uncharacteristic outburst. An electrified silence grew before Daud replied.

“From what I could tell before, I would have thought you cared little for your subordinates, Thomas,” Daud said cuttingly. “That's why I picked you after Billie. You seemed ruthless enough to be able to sacrifice.” Thomas scoffed, unconvinced. If he didn't care about his people, then Thomas would have joined the Abbey or the City Watch a long time ago. He might not have shown much love towards the others, but their profession called for some detachment. That didn't mean he cared any less. Thomas crossed his arms in front of him.

“At least the ones I sent knew the endgame.” 

That silenced Daud. They were all united by their commander, but now he seemed more like a fading memory. Billie confessed that she thought him soft and secretive after she betrayed them. Now Corvo aired the bad laundry again. Perhaps Daud didn't care once he realized he was slipping after the Empress's death. Perhaps he had forgotten the Whalers that he lost along the way. He had been reckless with those who had given their bodies and minds as his instruments.

“What would you have done if Corvo killed us all?” Thomas asked quietly. Daud's scarred face twisted slightly in what seemed like a moment of vulnerability. He shut it down before Thomas could react. 

“I would have dueled him just the same. I would have pleaded for my life just the same. Your deaths wouldn't have changed my decision. I wouldn't have fought in the name of vengeance for you.” A slight pause. “I'm sorry, this wasn't the answer that you wanted.” The lilt of his harsh voice softened somewhat. “I'm glad that all of you are alive, though.”

Thomas blinked in surprise, slack-jawed. He realized that he expected too much of Daud. Even if the Outsider gave him magic, Daud was still just a man, though it shouldn't be shocking that he never reminded the Whalers of this fact. Their devotion to Daud rivaled that of the Overseers, the irony. They would have laid down their lives for Daud, but for what cause? More money? Just the sake of protecting him and his legendary status? Even the excuse of banding together for survival's sake paled in comparison to what they had done for him. In the end, Daud was his own person looking out for himself. Thomas and the others willfully denied themselves of this. 

“I suppose I can't blame you for wanting a life beyond this cesspool,” Thomas sighed, resigned. He had always thought of this dilapidated place as home, but it only reminded him that there were better times. He always wondered what his life in Dunwall would have been if their situations weren't as dire (he'd probably still be piss poor, but at least everybody that he had loved wouldn't be dead).

“But don't think that what you did was excusable,” Thomas warned, but the threat packed half the punch he expected it to have. Maybe he felt as tired of the cut-throat work, ransoming, and betrayals as Daud did. This odd source of camaraderie the Whalers cherished shouldn't and wouldn't last forever. 

Daud chuckled lightly before grimacing from the pain under his bandages. “You should thank Corvo for his generosity, then.” Thomas supposed this was the closest thing to an apology as he was going to get. However, Thomas (ever inquisitive) needed to know why they were all standing relatively unscathed. 

“Why did he do it? Or rather, not do it?” 

Daud gave pause and studied Thomas' masked face. He peered back out onto the Wrenhaven, looking for an answer.

“For you, maybe he thought it wasn't your fight. Maybe he thought he might have some use for the Whalers and our connections down the road. As for me, I don't know why. I murdered his ward, kidnapped the other and dug the city to its grave. I was the last echo of all the things that went wrong and he could have at least put me to death. Blood for blood.” An assassin couldn't ask for forgiveness from their victims but Daud did what he could to right his wrongs, Thomas thought. Corvo must have felt the sincerity, even if he didn't know what exactly the Whalers did for princess Emily.

Another break in the conversation cropped up and Daud seized the opportunity to pull out and light a cigarette. Thomas looked out onto the Wrenhaven, the wide river eerily silent, devoid of ships. 

“Since you don't want to see Dunwall burn, then where are you going to go?” Thomas asked, tentative. 

Daud blew out smoke languidly and uttered: “I'll go back to Serkonos. It might be just as doomed as here, but I want to die where I was born. I'd be owing Stride a favor, but she should know who can smuggle people out of Gristol.”

Thomas smiled, knowing Daud couldn't see it. “You know that some of us won't accept your retirement.”

Daud sighed in resignation. “I know. That's why I'm taking the ones that need hand holding with me. I'll even try to teach them how to have normal jobs. Though Karnaca is overcrowded. Too many fish in such a small pond. No, I might retire in the countryside, maybe get a vineyard. ”

Thomas dared to chuckle. The most notorious assassin in Dunwall making wine, though Thomas wasn't sure if Daud was half joking or entirely serious. It was a surprise that Daud would indulge this much information about himself, but Thomas guessed it would be his last chance to do so.

“What about you, second-in-command? Do you want to go to Serkonos with me?” Only silence answered and Daud seemed surprised by Thomas' hesitation.

Thomas trembled slightly as he pulled his hands up behind his head and unfastened the straps. He set his mask down gently. Like in the dream, he felt his skin tingle from the salty air. Thomas breathed in the last of the day's light; he hadn't felt that in months. Daud stood and watched the metamorphosis patiently.

“Is it odd that I forgot what your face looked like?” Daud snubbed the rest of the cigarette with his boot. “Shame,” he concluded. The past six months were busy and blurred and his commander became secretive. Thomas wouldn't blame Daud for what seemed such a trivial aspect in the grand scheme of things, but now wasn't the time to reflect on past transgressions. They had spent too long thinking on what had already been done.

“To respond to your invitation: no, I won't need the hand holding. I wish to stay here. This is my home. I might be too optimistic, but I have a feeling that there are some things in this city that can still be saved. Perhaps I could help the former Lord Protector, if he manages to survive what comes his way.” This time, Daud left his feelings open for Thomas to see. He almost apologized when he saw Daud's gloomy expression. 

“So be it. Just know, your life won't be clean so soon after. Leaving this,” Daud gesticulated towards the Flooded District and Thomas' dropped mask, “doesn't mean it won't come back to haunt you.”

Thomas grinned wide, revealing his teeth. “I won't pretend that I don't like the savagery of it all, Daud.” Despite this, his commander still looked determined to inform him of all the consequences. 

“Your powers will fade in my absence. You wont be able to do what you've done anymore.”

Thomas nodded. “I wasn't meant to have them in the first place. Besides, you taught me to rely on more than that. I'm stronger now than when you first saw me. After you last see me, I'll be stronger still. If I don't die.” 

Daud smiled mirthfully. He must have given up from Thomas' stubbornness. The sea gulls' cries died out and the sparse luminescence from Walls of Light slowly materialized. 

“Help me back to my bed. It'll be my last night here.”

“You're still injured,” Thomas replied but he lent his assistance anyway.

“I need to be gone once Corvo recovers princess Emily.”

“How do you know he'll succeed?”

“The Outsider favors him. There's a good chance he will.”

Thomas wasn't going to question Daud's reasoning when it came to the Outsider. The sun's last rays shown over the horizon with night fully settling in on the ghost town. The town Thomas was going to help rebuild, somehow.

 

“I'll inform the others,” Thomas announced, once they arrived back at headquarters. Daud was already sitting on his bed, straining under his bandages. He gave a noncommittal 'ugh' as confirmation. 

That night, Thomas surprised each Whaler with his bare face and news of their timely end as killers for hire. Among this plague, Daud had led them, and from death they prospered. Soon, there was going to be no room for their ways and they would have to choose their own fates. Corvo, the not-assassin, will need help; and though he might have been imagining it, Thomas felt a warm breeze finally stir Dunwall's still waters.

**Author's Note:**

> Whoever thought that Daud should just own a vineyard with his Whalers post-game is a cute genius. Please tell me what you think in the comments below!


End file.
